Why it Snows
by UniCornVampire3z
Summary: Jerimus is hunting the dreaded creature, the Dragbull, but he doesn't realize that this creature is actually hunting him! Can the cloud nymph Lea save her beloved Jerimus?


Why it Snows  
  
Jerimus walked along the path. Oh! Sighed Lea the cloud nymph. She had been watching the young man up on her cloud ever since he had left his village. She knew practically everything about him. He was the pride of his village because he was the best hunter anyone had ever seen. He was also kind, caring, generous, loving and wasn't boastful. Lea was completely infatuated with him and was wooing over him as he went to hunt the Dragbull that lived in the hills.  
The Dragbull was a creature that was half wind boar, half fire breathing monstrous dragon. The creature had been tormenting the village, so as his town's pride Jerimus volunteered to go after the creature.  
Lea loved to watch him hunt, and was always happy when he got what he shot at. She would have loved to talk with him, but as a cloud nymph she was bound to her cloud. As she gazed down at him with her soulful eyes she saw movement behind him. It was the Dragbull. Even for its size, twice as large as a human, it could move as silent as a ghost. It was far behind Jerimus but was tracking his footprints. Poor Jerimus didn't realize that the creature that he was hunting was hunting him!  
Lea started to panic. What could she do? How could she save her love? A calmer part of her mind told her to think. She couldn't leave her cloud, so what could she do? Think, Think, Think! She started pacing. As she pondered the dilemma she watched Jerimus. Then something caught her eye. As she had been pacing some flakes of cloud fell off and drifted to the ground. Hhmmm, maybe if I could create enough of those it could cover Jerimus's tracks, Lea thought. She gathered more clouds and started to break them up until there were no bits to hold. They fell on the ground. Good she thought now Jerimus would have a chance to live. The cloud flakes covered the ground, about an inch of them. They also covered Jerimus's tracks.  
Lea look back to the Dragbull and saw that he was confused. As she watched he started to get angry that his prey's track had disappeared. After a while the Dragbull gave up in exasperation and stomped away. Lea jumped up and down on her cloud, elated to have saved Jerimus's life.  
Now she turned to Jerimus. He was still hunting the Dragbull, but she was content to watch him all the same. She knew even though he was the best hunter anyone had ever seen, he would not catch the Dragbull. As she gazed down the sun dipped low in the sky. Soon it was so dark that Jerimus had to give up the hunt. He set up a small campfire and ate his dinner of dried fruits and bread. He unrolled his blanket and crawled under. Soon he was asleep. Lea had a sudden thought. What if the Dragbull found Jerimus's sent again? Well, that's it she thought I'll just have to make more cloud flakes.  
Lea roped more clouds and brushed them apart until there was none left. When she looked again at Jerimus again he was covered in cloud bits. I know! She thought, it's a blanket of my love. But something was missing. The fire that Jerimus had set up before he fell asleep was out. That's odd, Lea thought. Oh well, she thought stifling a yawn; I'll sleep on it. She grabbed more clouds and covered herself in them. Soon she was asleep.  
The next morning Lea stretched like a cougar might, and slowly sat up. She looked down at Jerimus. He wasn't awake yet, but still sleeping, looking as cute as a baby. She didn't need a breakfast; in fact she didn't eat at all, so she sat on her cloud waiting for Jerimus to wake up. She waited and waited the whole day past but Jerimus didn't wake up. She was in tears by the time dusk arrived so she didn't realize it when another cloud nymph floated by. "Hey!" She called.  
Lea kept sobbing into her hands, not knowing why he hadn't woken up. The other cloud nymph floated over. "Hello there, what's the matter?" Lea looked up, eyes red and blood shot. "He won't wake up!" she whined. The other nymph looked down at the boy. Her eyes filed with wonder at the white stuff on the ground. Then her eyes fell upon Jerimus. Her face turned sad, not pity but sorrow. "I have seen this once before, I'm am sorry to say this, but... But he is dead." There was a pause then it dawned on Lea. "Not dead, dead, right?" Her voice faltered. "He can't be dead. He just can't. How could he be?" The other nymph shook her head "I am sorry, I do not know how but he obviously meant something to you, and for that I am truly sorry." She laid a comforting hand on Lea's shoulder, then left.  
Lea cried and cried, and mourned Jerimus's death for days. She stayed over his body, hoping, praying that he would get up. When Lea was in another crying fit, the town's folk came. "Over here!" One person yelled. The other people came over. "Ohhhhh!" Some one wailed. It was Jerimus's mother. She stepped out of the crowd and kneeled by her dead son. She grabbed him in her arms and started rocking back and forth, crying and wailing. A man from the crowd came out and picked up a bit of the cloud. "What is this?" Whispers from the crowd started to her ears. "What is that?" "Why is he dead?" "How did he die?" "It is cold!" the man who had picked it up announced. Another asked "Did a cloud nymph do this?" "Why? Why would a nymph want to kill our beloved Jerimus?" Through tears Lea yelled "No! NO!" She had not wished to kill him! Then she realized it. It was cold so it had frozen him to death "Noooooooooo!!!" The people heard her but they miss interpreted what she said. "Why is a nymph shouting 'Snow'? Is this what the white stuff is?" "It must be! Snow!"  
  
And this is how snow came about. The nymph that told Lea that Jerimus was dead spread the word to other nymphs. When Persephone is in Hades realm the nymph mourn too, by creating "snow". 


End file.
